r BX 



fflw 



v&m. 



I 



^p' BY 1ILLIAN 



win 



JSilii 



— L, 








fihss ':•■ : A G 9 4 

Book, -/ , 4 £ 

GopigM? . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT, 



THE 
HIDDEN TRUTH 



Right Thought Series, No. 1 



^f=^BY LILLIAN N§T 
DE WATERS 

Author of 
Journeying Onward, Thinking Heavenward 
How to Have Prosperity and Success 
etc., etc. 



Published and for sale by 

LILLIAN DE WATERS 
18 First Street, Stamford, Conn. 



# 



COPYRIGHT, 1919, 

LILLIAN DE WATERS 

All rights reserved 



)CI,A5I5651 

MAV 24 vm 






Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, 
and the man that getteth understanding. 

— Prov. iii. 13. 

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore 
get wisdom: and with all thy getting get 
understanding. — Prov. iv. 7. 

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and 
it doth not yet appear what we shall be : but 
we know that, when he shall appear, we shall 
be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

— I John iii. 2. 



Lovingly Dedicated to the Many Million Readers 
of My Former Writings ; and Most Particu- 
larly Dedicated to The One Who 
Has Made the Writing of 
This Book Possible 



Preface 

In placing before my thousands of Science 
friends The Right Thought Series, my 
greatest motive and desire is to enlighten and 
help the honest seekers for Truth. 

Our great leader, Mary Baker Eddy, in 
defining the word "Wilderness," wrote on 
page 597 of Science and Health as follows: 
"Wilderness: Doubt, darkness. Spontaneity 
of thought and idea; the vestibule in which 
a material sense of things disappears, and 
spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of 
existence." 

We have all been in this same wilderness 
of doubt and mental darkness. Those of us 
who have emerged into the "vestibule" where 
"spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of 
existence" can, if we choose, light the way 
for our friends and thereby, perhaps, save 
them many heartaches. 

I now know the wilderness of mental dark- 
ness thoroughly and was in it for years, 



though in belief I thought I was out; and 
from my own experience I know that there 
are thousands more who have the belief that 
they are out, but in actuality are not. 

Some time ago a new and deeper under- 
standing of Christian Science was presented 
to me, and, in a remarkable manner, enlight- 
ened my waiting consciousness to that Light 
in which there is no darkness, no dcubt, no 
mystery. This wonderful enlightenment I 
shall endeavor to give to my friends in simple 
story form in The Right Thought Series, 
so that these friends may also enjoy that 
peace which comes with actual understand- 
ing, which peace I now know and enjoy. 

The Hidden Truth is the first story of 
the series, and in due time the other stories 
of this enlightening series will be published. 

The Author. 



The Hidden Truth 

Millicent Curtis was happily engaged in 
the arrangement of a mass of exquisite pan- 
sies that she had just brought into the house 
from her own flower garden. 

It was just as the last little face was care- 
fully tucked in the low flower holder that the 
telephone rang. 

"I hope no one wants to see me right now," 
thought she, as she flung her garden hat upon 
the nearest chair and stepped into her office. 

"This is Mr. Walter Williams," came the 
voice. 

Such a surprise was this to Millicent that, 
for a moment, she was lost for speech. 

"Where — where are you?" 

"Right here in town. I have been on a 
long motor trip, and on my way back through 
your town, thought I would stop and ask if 
you would care to have me call at your home." 

Care? Well of course she did. She insisted 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

| | t | | HM— H»— HH— -MN— .»«— MB— UK.— MM— —Mil— — BW^IWl— MM— MB- — »W— UK— «Hi— M m ■ ■ * } > 

that Mr. Williams stop by all means, and 
assured him of the great pleasure it would 
give her. 

As Millicent hung up the receiver, her 
heart was beating with the glad excitement 
she was feeling. Thoughts came like floods 
to her as she made ready for her guest. 

Walter Williams was one who had long 
stood out in her estimation as a great man, 
and she had heard hundreds speak of him in 
glowing terms. Although she had known of 
him for several years, and had occasionally 
corresponded with him, yet she had never 
enjoyed the pleasure of seeing him. Mr, 
Williams, like herself, was an author; and, 
as they wrote on the same subject of meta- 
physics, this was the bond between them. 

"I suppose he will be a big man with a 
forceful bearing,'' she mused. "I hope not 
altogether unapproachable, as I have many 
questions I would like to ask him." 

With a glow of color still in her cheeks, 
[2] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«$tN — -|M— UN — MH— >t!K— —KM— »H— —MM'— — M— UN— W»— IW — »» —.MM— -<tn— 11 H— -H K— M»— i«J» 

Millicent herself answered the bell. "I am 
so glad to have you come," she said simply. 

Mr. Williams held her hand in a strong, 
firm grasp while he looked very directly into 
the face before him. 

"And I am very happy to have this pleas- 
ure of meeting you, Mrs. Curtis." 

Millicent knew, even before they were 
comfortably seated in her office, that she was 
at perfect ease with her guest. As they talked 
for a few moments upon the general lines of 
thought, she was conscious that his appear- 
ance was very unlike what she had formu- 
lated in her imagination. His whole bearing 
was marked by simplicity. His hair was 
grey, his eyes very clear and kind; but that 
which held her attention most, was a warmth, 
a light, a certain illumination that seemed 
to emanate from his presence. "Surely there 
is something unusual about him," decided 
she, happily, and at once she plunged into 
the matter at her heart. 

[3] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"Mr. Williams, I have read with great 
interest your various writings on meta- 
physics, and I note that your thought is 
somewhat different from the many other 
writers of Christian Science stories, myself 
included. Do you know something the rest 
of us do not know?" she asked pointedly. 

A bright smile broke over his face, and 
he looked full into the earnest face before 
he spoke. 

"Mrs. Curtis, you understand, do you not, 
that metaphysics is a Science; that every 
science has only one side and that is its right 
side? It is not a matter of what you have 
come to believe, and I have come to believe, 
regarding this Science. It is a matter of 
knowing the truth about metaphysics; and 
all who correctly know this truth have the 
same understanding of it." 

"I have often thought along this way, Mr. 
Williams. I can see that mathematics is an 
absolute science, and all of us who have 

[4] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



learned its truths use them the same way 
and have the same understanding regarding 
them. But, when it comes to the Science of 
Mind there seems to be such a noticeable 
difference of opinion between those who 
claim to understand it. In fact, I have never 
met any two people who talked exactly from 
the same point of view, and I have often 
asked myself why this is, since the science 
of metaphysics must be an accurate, change- 
less and perfect science." 

"It is. And any of us who actually under- 
stand this Science, think alike regarding its 
laws and nature. It is one thing to believe in 
metaphysics ; it is quite a different matter to 
understand it. Christian Science, as known 
by Mrs. Eddy, is true metaphysics or science 
of Mind. There are millions of people today 
who believe in Christian Science, and believe 
that it is the truth that our Master taught; 
but the actual understanders are much less 
in number. It is not our belief in mathe- 

[5] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



matics or our faith in its teachings that en- 
ables us to solve mathematical problems, but 
it is our understanding of its principle and 
laws that enables us to solve its problems. 
This is true of all sciences, metaphysics in- 
cluded. Christian Science, as understood by 
Mrs. Eddy, is not founded upon blind faith 
nor belief, but it is founded upon the abso- 
lute facts of Life, the laws of Being; and it 
is only as we learn what these facts are, and 
learn the method of their operation that we 
have started rightly. 

"How long have you been a student of 
Christian Science?" he asked, with interest. 

"Since about twenty years ago. My sister 
and my mother both had very remarkable 
healings through Christian Science at that 
time, and this made Scientists of our whole 
family. I have had class instruction, and I 
have been a practitioner myself for several 
years. I do believe thoroughly in progress. 
I want to grow into higher understanding, 

[6] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



and if you can open up new fields of thought 
to me, I am ready and anxious to listen. I 
know, personally, of the wonderful healing 
work you have done as a Christian Science 
practitioner, and 'by their fruits ye shall 
know them.' Will you tell me of some of 
the cases that you have healed?" 

The man was silent for a moment, and 
then he said: "Our Leader spoke frankly of 
her healing works. If you will turn to page 
105 of The First Church of Christ Scientist 
and Miscellany, you will read these words: 
'I healed malignant diphtheria and carious 
bones that could be dented by the finger. 
... I have physically restored sight to the 
blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb 
and have made the lame walk.' Probably 
I can answer your question in no better way 
than to repeat those words of Mrs. Eddy's; 
for I can honestly make the same claim." 

The words were quietly but convincingly 
spoken, leaving no doubt in the mind of the 

[7] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

listener that here was a man whose whole 
manner was the essence of one who knew 
and who spoke from the standpoint of under- 
standing. 

Unconsciously Millicent drew a sigh. 
"Will you talk plainly to me?" she began. 
"I feel sure that you know more of Truth 
than I know. I want to know more of the 
how and the what of healing, and I want to 
know upon what my progress depends." 

An irresistible smile lighted up the pleas- 
ant face, and Millicent could feel herself 
warmed as though by a bright light. 

"I will answer your last question first," 
he replied. "Your progress depends entirely 
upon yourself." 

She drew back, startled. "Of course, God 
helping me, you mean." 

Mr. Williams replied: "Before I could 
grant this, I should have to know what your 
idea of God is. If you believe that you gain 
health or happiness, or bring these to another 

[8] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

by doing your mental work on the case and 
'leave the rest to God/ then you are wrong. 
Mrs. Eddy says plainly, 'you are the judge'; 
'you are the attorney for the case' ; 'you are 
the arbiter of your own fate' ; and the Bible 
states that we are to work out our own salva- 
tion. In a Christian Science lecture that I 
recently heard, the lecturer said that God is 
Wisdom, Understanding. Our Leader says 
that God is Mind. When you have gained an 
actual understanding of Truth or the true 
facts of Life, then you are ready to begin 
to work out your salvation." 

"But it is God that 'worketh with you,' " 
insisted Millicent. 

"Of course," was the smiling response. 
"We cannot work out salvation or any other 
good thing without Truth or true thoughts — 
without wisdom or understanding. When we 
work out our problems upon this foundation, 
then we are working right." 

"But that seems to put the matter quite 
[9] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

^0«— ««.— .ill-— lit,— -B»-—.|1H—-Bi— -Hi-— H H—-«i!l—-.pp--.Ha— -«»«-— -BN-— KH— BK— *»— HII— .*.|*. 

up to us." A pink flush crept over her face 
and she gave her head a decided little toss. 
"I don't like that way. I have never thought 
like that, for it is leaving God out altogether, 
it seems to me." 

"Not at all, if you have the right under- 
standing of God. Let us see what Mrs. Eddy 
has to say on this very vital question of who 
heals and what heals ; and let us go back to 
the teachings of the Master metaphysician, 
Jesus. If we study these teachers carefully, 
we cannot be led astray." 

Mr. Williams quietly examined the vari- 
ous books that lay on the table beside him, 
and finally picked out a little pamphlet called 
Christian Healing, by Mrs. Eddy. He noted 
the date of the edition on the cover, "1911." 
The pages were clean and crisp. 

"I see that you have had this little book 
for several years," he mused, "and how very 
fresh and new it looks." 

"I'll admit that I never read much of it," 
[10] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



said Millicent, a little embarrassed by the 
clear light in his eyes; "but, look at my 
Science and Health!" and she exhibited a 
well-worn little book. "This to me is the 
most important." 

"All of our Leader's writings are import- 
ant, Mrs. Curtis. Every one. I own a great 
many of her earlier writings, too. I have a 
copy of the first edition of Science and 
Health ever published; also one of each of 
many of the following editions. I have found 
it of great importance to study all the vari- 
ous writings of Mrs. Eddy, as without a 
doubt she was the greatest metaphysician of 
her time. But come, let us see what she has 
to tell us in this little sermon." 

The room was quiet as slowly he turned a 
few pages of the book. "Listen: 'Metaphys- 
ics places all cause and cure as mind,' also 
'Metaphysics requires mind imbued with 
Truth to heal the sick/ Just note, Mrs. 
Curtis, that mind is here written with a 
small W " 

[11] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

♦^•1,— .»«•— -Ufl-=,— .Hfl— HH— DM— »HH— MB— SN— ~HRH— at!— HS«— -Bit— iH—SI«— til) «—.*«•— 1)«— II «J» 

Millicent took the book and examined the 
words very carefully. She had a feeling of 
being a little mystified. "This would make 
mind a healer," and her brows began to 
pucker. "Why, Mrs. Eddy says in Science 
and Health that divine Mind is the only 
healer. " 

If she expected the face opposite to look 
chagrined she was disappointed, for his 
countenance was as serene as the summer's 
day. 

"Let me read you this from People's Idea 
of God, by Mrs. Eddy. I will begin on 
page 10. 'We possess our own body, and 
make it harmonious or discordant according 
to the images that thought reflects upon it.' 
Here is something further on the subject on 
the next page: 'The feeblest mind, enlight- 
ened and spiritualized, can free its body from 
disease.' " 

"But God is the only healer," insisted 
Millicent. "You know that Mrs. Eddy says 

[12] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

so positively in Science and Health. These 
statements seem contradictory. This has 
never come to my attention before"; and 
with quickened feeling she read and reread 
the words of Mrs. Eddy that Mr. Williams 
had selected. 

"These statements and the one that you 
quote from Science and Health do not con- 
tradict each other, although to a believer in 
Christian Science it may appear so. Don't 
you recall in Science and Health where Mrs. 
Eddy writes, 'When the Science of being is 
universally understood, every man will be 
his own physician, and Truth will be the 
universal panacea'?" 

"Yes, I admit that I have noted that and 
have wondered in my heart how we each can 
be our own physician, and God, divine Mind, 
the only physician." 

There was no resisting the radiance that 
danced from the smiling eyes. Millicent's 
mood was melted by this contagion of good, 
and she burst into a merry laugh. 

[13] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

igtl— — UM-— titi-— MB— t)H— »* — MH — N»«— HH — BlH— — K*—» MM — ||H— .BN — H>l— **— (IB— —WD— Rt|* 

"I must be very stupid, Mr. Williams, but 
for the life of me I cannot see how my mind 
can heal, your mind can heal, and still there 
be only one Mind and one healer. I know by 
your face that you have the solution for this 
problem." 

"Yes, through deep study I have gained 
it; and it is one of the foundation stones to 
good healing. Let us leave this for the mo- 
ment. I want you to use your reason more. 
Did you ever notice how many people like 
to read certain parts of Mrs. Eddy's writ- 
ings, and even certain parts of Science and 
Health, leaving many other parts almost 
unread ?" 

"Yes. I am inclined to do that myself/' 
was the frank answer. "I like to read best 
what I understand the best, and I am sure 
that in time I will understand more." 

"You will never understand a thing by 
leaving it alone. Is that the way you pro- 
gress in music or in mathematics?" 

[14] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

> | ll M ■■ ■ ■ ■■ M— »■■— m— — HWN- ■——■—— aa— 1M— at— aa ■■ i a«|» 

Millicent shook her head. 

"If Mrs. Eddy's Science is good — and it is 
— then we should study, ponder, weigh, 
every statement she has ever given us. Many 
of us stay behind because we do not do this. 
Let me illustrate this to you: Suppose that 
in a big arena there was an enclosure of some 
kind. The people were told that in this 
enclosure was every conceivable good thing 
for the eyes to look at, and they were invited 
to go in and investigate for themselves. Of 
the many that go within is one vitally inter- 
ested in flowers — a botanist. As he enters 
the enclosure multitudinous sights are 
arrayed before his vision. Birds of gorgeous 
plumage are flying about; pictures of sur- 
passing glory hang upon the walls ; exquisite 
music is wafted upon the air; joyous chil- 
dren play about ; but soon his eyes rest upon 
flowers of the most dazzling beauty he has 
ever seen. All entranced with their rare 
wonder, a feeling of great satisfaction comes 

[15] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«!*n-~ atl — »«— us— »«— mm— -tin— *«—■■— mm— . -n.i— n p— nw— ■■— -an— -»«— .hh— h«—— «♦§# 

over him, and at once he ceases to explore 
the infinite storehouse of wonders around 
him, for now he is content to examine, to 
study and to love the flowers. Now, there is 
another individual who cares not so much 
for flowers, but he is a lover of art. So he 
stays with the pictures. Another is com- 
pletely satisfied just to listen to the strains of 
delightful music ; he cares not to even move 
about or away from his position." 

The voice paused for a moment, and he 
watched the light that dawned in the face 
before him. 

"Many thousands have approached Chris- 
tian Science after this manner," went on the 
mellow voice. "They approach the text book 
as though it were some great medicine bottle 
with supernatural qualities. One person 
reads that God is Love. This person is of a 
gentle, simple nature, and this new idea of 
God is entirely satisfying. She likes to read 
everything that revolves around this fact 

[16] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

t|>»— ai^-»n-— an— »aa— ia— »ia— ii mi aia n — «N— — — w— 1 1— — — «■— — «|| 

that God is Love; to every problem that 
confronts her, she applies this statement of 
Truth and is quite satisfied as to the results 
it brings. Another likes to think of God as 
Mind, and so fashions her thinking around 
'right ideas/ Another uses God as Prin- 
ciple; and so on. Do you see the point that 
I am bringing out?" 

"Yes. I guess we are not thorough enough. 
We are too contented, too satisfied." 

"Mrs. Eddy tells us that there aire three 
classes of neophytes. The third class, she 
says, are the thinkers who build with solid 
masonry. If we are actual thinkers, we will 
look into her various writings and pick out 
the deeper things. For instance, what are 
some of her definitions of God that escape 
the attention of the ordinary reader? She 
says, 'God is All, and in all' — Christian 
Healings 'God is the sum-total of the uni- 
verse' — Miscellaneous Writings; 'God is all 
true consciousness' — Unity of Good. These 

[17]" 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



definitions are not so familiar as 'God is 
Love/ but when comprehended they will 
lead you into a deeper truth. Suppose we 
build upon this last statement as a fact of 
Life, and let us see where it will take us. 
If God is all true consciousness, then all true 
consciousness is God." 

"Yes." 

Millicent looked intently into the face 
before her until suddenly her mind seemed 
to open and the true meaning come forth. 

"Then my true consciousness is God." 
She spoke the words slowly, thoughtfully. 

The man nodded and his look carried to 
her the expectation that he was waiting for 
her to go on. 

Again her mind seemed to penetrate into 
the deeper reasoning. 

"Then — my true life is God, my true mind 
is God, my true soul is God." 

The ticking of the little gold clock on the 
mantle was all that broke the stillness of 
the room. 

[18] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



Presently the man spoke. His voice car- 
ried the hush of feeling. "I will not press 
you further now, Mrs. Curtis. I will let the 
rest unfold naturally to you in the quiet of 
your own heart. It will come. And now/' 
he exclaimed, with a winning change of 
manner, "come, ask me some questions that 
are the stumbling blocks to your progress, 
and that will take us back to the subject 
that we left — 'Who and what heals?' " 

"Well, then, this verse," she began, laugh- 
ing, " 'I can of mine own self do nothing,' 
and this, 'Why callest thou me good? none 
is good, save one, that is God.' These verses 
seem to imply that we must look outside of 
ourselves for our help." 

"No, indeed," was the positive reply. "I 
am glad that you have mentioned these 
verses, for there are many that start building 
here upon a wrong foundation, and I am 
confident that I can give you the true sense 
of those verses. 

[19] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

?£*«— rh— < a*— — r»i~— hii— na— — nn— — na— >tn— Min— — un— .MB— m— m— ■ Hi— M— -m— -aa— n«£» 

"Just let us suppose for the sake of the 
argument, that I am a new patient coming 
to you for treatment for sickness. I know 
nothing about Christian Science, nothing of 
its methods of healing. I have been told by 
my friends that they have been healed 
through Christian Science — so I am here. 
I ask, 'Can you heal me?' I note a shocked 
look come over your face, and you gently 
say, 'No, I can't heal you, but God can,' and 
add as a mild reproof, 'I can of mine own 
self do nothing.' Then, after a few more 
remarks that do not enlighten me at all, you 
close your eyes, and I wonder — 'if she can't 
heal me — if, as she says, she can do nothing, 
then what is she trying to do?' Presently 
you open your eyes, and I ask seriously, 
'Does God know about my rheumatism?' 
Lovingly you give your head a negative 
shake, and look at me in such a manner that 
I feel rebuked. 

" 'No, God knows nothing about sickness,' 
[20] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



you reply, with supreme decision. Then, 
seeing that I am mystified, you admonish me 
not to fear; you assure me that everything 
will be all right, and you tell me to return 
the next day for further treatment." 

Millicent was beginning to sense what 
would come next. She sat back in her chair, 
her face a study. 

"Now, Mrs. Curtis, if I happen to be any 
kind of a thinker at all, I will go out of 
your office mystified. Of the statements that 
you have made to me, I hold these in mind: 
'Mrs. Curtis can't do this healing. God can. 
Still, she says that God don't know I'm sick; 
so it seems that I have little chance there.' 
I also am very curious to know what you 
were doing when you had your eyes closed. 
I haven't the faintest idea of the principle of 
scientific, mental healing. I am a reasoning 
being, and there seems something about this 
that is mysterious to me, and I wonder if I 
am just being plucked of a few dollars. I 
[21] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«g*K— ■■— « .«««— .HM— H«— UK— — .HH— .«■— — MB— IHB— — Wl— -BB— — BB— BB»— BB— MM— B««— H«— —R*$* 

may, and I may not go back — with the em- 
phasis on the not" 

Millicent smiled broadly and waited. 

"Now, suppose that our conversation had 
been after this fashion: I say to you, 'You 
are a practitioner of Christian Science, and, 
as such, I ask, Can you heal me?' You reply, 
confidently, in the words of the Master: 
1 "AH power is given unto me in heaven and 
in earth," and given unto all who acquire an 
actual understanding of Life and its laws. 5 
'But, I have heard it said that I, of myself, 
can do nothing,' I persist. You smile 
serenely, and I note that when you speak it 
is with a common-sense tone that leaves no 
doubt in my mind that you understand what 
you are saying. 'Mr. Williams, Jesus healed, 
didn't he? The Bible says that Peter healed; 
Paul healed; and Mrs. Eddy says, "I 
healed"; now, I claim that I am a follower 
of these teachers, and therefore, if I under- 
stand Life as they did, that I can heal too.' 

[22] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

"I am very interested at once, for it sounds 
reasonable to me, and you go on, confidently. 
- "I of my self can do nothing," simply 
means: I without this actual understanding 
can do nothing. I without an understanding 
of mathematics and its rules of application 
cannot solve a mathematical problem. I 
without some knowledge of music cannot 
read a note; and so,' you add, with a con- 
fidential smile, 'I without some understand- 
ing of Mind and right thought can do noth- 
ing for you; but I with this understanding 
can do something for you.' 

"Mrs. Curtis, if you talked like this to me, 
I would be back in your office the next day." 

They both laughed heartily. 

"If you talk like this to your patients you 
will gain their confidence, which is essential. 
Has your attention ever been called to the 
fact that in nearly every instance Jesus, 
before he undertook to heal a case, said to 
the patient, 'believe ye that I am able to do 
[23] 



THE HIDDEN TKUTH 

« |» — M — ■ ■ ■ ■■ 1 Ml M - ■!■ ■ ■ H— Mm ■■ MH K—H W ■■ ■ ■ m| | 

this?' When they had admitted their con- 
fidence in him this made their mentality 
receptive to the process of healing. Just 
think, Mrs. Curtis, if you should go to a 
well-known teacher of mathematics and say 
to him, 'Will you solve a problem for me, 
or show me the method of its solution?' Sup- 
pose he answered, with gentle reproach in 
his eyes, 'I cannot solve your problem, but 
of course the principle of mathematics can. 
You don't have to fear or worry, or in fact 
have a single care about the matter. I will 
just sit here quietly and mentally know the 
truth about the whole affair; that there are 
no mistakes in mathematics, and, therefore, 
you haven't made any. This is my part to do, 
but it is the principle that will do the work ; 
this principle that is pure and spotless will 
solve this problem for you, only wait and you 
will see.' Now, what would you think of this 
reasoning, Mrs. Curtis?" 

"I know that would be absurd, of course," 
[24] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«£»•—• IB— m— mh— es— — na— rh— — *n— — u»— »uis— mh— »»=— hm— »bh— bk— — ks— kk— bp— •♦{• 

and her face showed that she was thinking 
intensely. "Yes, I will admit, too, that I have 
treated my patients very much after this 
fashion, and feel that many practitioners do 
likewise. I tell my patients to trust God, 
or divine Love for everything. I say that 
we do not have to fight, we do not have to 
struggle, we only have to know." 

"That is true in its right sense. But your 
patient will get your idea which is: 'There 
is nothing for us to do but trust, and shift 
all responsibility upon God, Love, who can 
accomplish all things'; and, do you know, 
that through this very wrong teaching, thou- 
sands of honest hearts are needlessly waiting, 
waiting. If you get any results at all from 
such a line of thought it is sheer blind belief. 
If you have faith in that foolish method, 
you will get the results of your faith, but 
it is belief pure and simple, and it is the 
reason that practitioners seem to reach one 
case and fail on the next; it is because I 
[25] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

understand metaphysics that I know that 
there is nothing for us to fight against. In 
helping a student of mathematics we do not 
fight the mistake that he has made, but we 
do fight or righten the mistaken sense that 
is in his mind and that caused the wrong 
result in his work. So, in scientific healing, 
we should have some actual understanding 
of the facts of Being; and, as we apply these 
right thoughts or facts to the mentality of 
the patient and he accepts them, he is freed 
from his mistaken beliefs about himself, and 
consequently his body will now reflect his 
better thought." 

A light broke over Millicent's face as the 
common sense of this dawned upon her. 
"Then that would also explain another verse 
that I find great consolation in: 'The battle 
is not your's but God's.' " 

"The battle is not one of human belief, 
but is the destruction of the belief with actual 
understanding, which is God. If I am to 

[ 26 J 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



work out my salvation, and the Bible states 
this is the case, then I am to work it out with 
understanding, and through understanding 
I win the battle, or solve the problem." 

Millicent's radiant countenance left no 
doubt that she had grasped very clearly the 
truth of this explanation. 

"I see that you have not taken things for 
granted as I have done; you have thought 
more and believed less." 

4 'Metaphysics should be reasoned out 
simply and clearly." He spoke with great 
earnestness. "Its truths must be discovered 
and made very plain and simple, leaving no 
doubt whatever in the mind of the student 
as to who heals, what heals, and how the 
healing is brought about. Any mystery sur- 
rounding the matter will be a detriment to 
the progress or the advancement of the 
student, and retards actual healing. Mrs. 
Eddy recognized this fact, for she said 'there 
is nothing so detrimental to Christian Sci- 
[27] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



ence as blind belief/ If all the believers in 
Christian Science were actual under standers 
we would have revolutionized the world be- 
fore this." 

Mr. Williams took from his pocket a 
folded paper and, opening it, said: "Here 
is something bearing on this subject which 
is most enlightening. It is called Principle 
and Practice j and was written by our Leader 
in 1910. It appeared in a recent Christian 
Science Sentinel. Listen: 'If the faith-healer 
succeeds in securing (kindling) the belief of 
the patient in his own recovery, the practi- 
tioner will have performed a faith-cure which 
he mistakenly pronounces Christian Sci- 
ence.' " 

Millicent interrupted, "Does that mean if 
my patient believes what I tell him, though 
he does not understand it, his own faith or 
blind belief is what brings about any change 
in his condition?" 

"Exactly. The faith that a patient has in 
[28] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

» | || | mn »| f ■ .■ ■■■ ■■ ■ IHt—WI— »H»— Mil— — M— BUI— M— IMH— HM— M ■ M '■ ■ ■ ■■ ■ ■ H | | | 

you or in what you tell him will have the 
same effect upon him as the faith in drugs 
has upon one who employs them. You know 
that a drug has no power of its own to heal ; 
it is only the faith that is put in them that 
gives drugs their seeming power, and blind 
belief in a practitioner, or in a God which is 
not at all understood, will have just that 
result that the faith brings forth," 

"I can now see that such practice is all 
very wrong," admitted Millicent^ with a 
troubled expression. 

"Let me read you some more of the article 
written by Mrs. Eddy. 'In this very manner 
some students of Christian Science have 
accepted, through faith, a divine Principle, 
God, as their savior, but they have not 
understood this Principle sufficiently well to 
fulfill the Scriptural command, "Go ye into 
all the world, and preach the gospel. Heal 
the sick." ' 

"Cannot you see, Mrs. Curtis, that this 
[29] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

it ii n ■ iim«— »w— mi— tut— w— »hii°— »na— -hh— -huh— hh— mi- »m— «»hm— mt— mi ■ > w i - tin ■' '■■ ' m| « 

message of our Leader's is of vital import- 
ance? She meant that many Scientists be- 
lieve in God, and in Science, but they do not 
actually understand God, Life, or the facts 
of Being sufficiently well to preach or ex- 
plain these truths simply and intelligently 
to the inquirer or patient, and thereby en- 
lighten and heal him. Instead, not knowing 
actual Truth themselves, but believing that 
they do, they gain the confidence or trust of 
the patient, and may thereby perform a 
faith-cure, which they mistakenly believe 
was based upon their understanding, and 
this is what these practitioners are pleased 
to call Christian Science, but it is not." 

"Then what— how?" 

"I will read a little more. 'It is the healer's 
understanding of the operation of divine 
Principle, and his application thereof, which 
heals the sick, just as it is one's understand- 
ing of the principle of mathematics which 
enables him to demonstrate its rules.' " 

[30] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



Millicent drew a deep, trembling breath. 
"That sounds very simple and common- 
sense, still I do not see my way clearly," she 
said slowly. "I note, though, that Mrs. 
Eddy here speaks of the 'healer/ " 

"And a healer is one who heals/' asserted 
the man plainly, though with the ready 
smile that from the first had won the heart 
of his listener. 

"I surely never thought that it was I that 
did the healing, but I can now see that if I 
understood the truth of Life, and present 
these truths to the mind of the patient and 
he accepts them, I would simultaneously 
have taken away his wrong beliefs, and he 
would be healed of them, and consequently 
healed of his sickness. But is it not true that 
my mind reflects the divine Mind and so 
heals?" 

"No, this is not true Science; the reflection 
comes in elsewhere. You already admitted 
a while ago, did you not, that your true con- 
sciousness is God?" 

[31] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«|»l i n M i i l l— 1|— »m— II— ■.«»— 1|— — m— » MM— — Ha— — HM— WW— — B««— 1|— II— I I Mm i ll | t 

"Yes," nodded Millicent. "I think I see 
where this would lead me. I will dwell on it 
when alone, and let the true significance 
unfold to me. 

"Is there more of that article that you 
want me to hear?" 

"Only this. Mrs. Eddy further states that 
Christian Science is not a faith-cure, and 
unless human faith be distinguished from 
scientific healing, Christian Science will 
again be lost sight of from the practice of 
religion as it was soon after the period of 
our Master's healing." 

Millicent seemed deeply moved. "I can 
see this much very vividly — that I have built 
a great deal of my house upon blind faith, 
and it is now tumbling over my ears; that, 
though I have studied Christian Science 
twenty years, I have not grasped its real 
meaning. Now that you have taken some 
of the false beliefs upon which I rested from 
under me, I will not let you go until you 

[32] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

|| m i ■ « <■' ■ ■ ■■■ ■■ ■■ m—hb— * mm — — i ■ n ■ ■ ■ ■ m i ■■ ■ ■ i |i m t | l 

give me a more solid foundation to stand on." 
"I will give you all you can take," was 
his assurance. 

"Before I ask you some questions, I want 
to tell you that I believe, so far, all that you 
have told me, and a certain experience is 
now quite clear to me that I could not under- 
stand before. A few days ago, while I was 
engaged with a patient in this office, my 
telephone rang. It was a call from a lady 
whom I had often helped before. She asked 
me to help her at once, saying that she was 
in severe pain, but adding, 'I have never 
called upon you when you did not help me, 
and I am sure that you will now/ After 
promising her that I would treat her, I gave 
my attention again to the patient in my 
office, and as this patient did not leave me 
until an hour later, I did not treat my absent 
patient until that time. I was a little discon- 
certed when the next morning the lady called 
me again on the wire, saying, 'I want you 

[33] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

to know that I was entirely healed within 
ten minutes after I asked you to treat me, 
and I am very happy.' It is plain to me 
now that it was her absolute faith in me that 
healed her, for I had not treated her at all 
at that time. Understanding played no 
part." 

Millicent continued, brightly, "I have 
learned, so far, that we, by presenting the 
facts of Life, can heal another of his wrong 
beliefs and consequent sicknesses, providing 
he accept the facts presented; but now I ask 
— What are the facts of Life that we should 
know?" 

Mr. Williams smiled whimsically. 

"That is quite a big question," he observed 
smilingly. 

"Well, then, tell me some of them," she 
laughed back. 

"Suppose we begin by asking, 'What is 
Mind?' " suggested Mr. Williams. 

"I presume that I could readily say, 
[34] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



'God,' and that would be true; but I would 
not know any more than I did before. 
Please reason it out. I don't want to repeat 
things like a parrot any more, but I do want 
to understand," 

"Good," nodded he, appreciatively. "Let 
us go beneath the surface. 

"Mrs. Eddy has given us the definition of 
God as Mind. Let us see where this will 
bring us. What is the nature of Mind?" 

For this Millicent could find no imme- 
diate answer. 

"I ought to know," she said hesitatingly. 
"Can it be that the nature of Mind is to 
know? I recall now that I heard a student 
of metaphysics say that Mind does not think 
— Mind knows, and so I say that the nature 
of Mind is to know." 

The man toyed with the pencil that he 

held in his hand, and Millicent could not 

help feeling that her answer was wrong. 

Something in the calm, assured manner of 

[35] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

her guest convinced her that he had built 
his house upon a rock. He knew. 

"Mrs. Curtis, what is the only method by 
which we can know anything ?" 

No answer. 

"Is there not something that must precede 
knowing? In plainer words, is knowing the 
primary state of Mind?" 

"Yes, I thought so," trembled Millicent. 
"I thought that God, Mind, knows every- 
thing, just by knowing it," she concluded 
lamely. 

"Let us see how nature would instruct us. 
For instance, if you will recall your first 
day in the schoolroom, did you know every- 
thing just by knowing it?" 

"No, of course not; yet Mind must include 
all and know all." 

"That is true, but you are skipping some 
steps of importance. Suppose we think of 
Mind, the starting point, as a stillness. Now, 
I ask what is the activity of Mind? What is 

[36] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

-D« — :!K— >aA— BR— UK — H« — tt 1 — U»— — B3 — HI) — «H— ■ 



the process that Mind employs to reach the 
knowing state?" 

Millicent's face showed that she was 
laboring hard to get the answer. 

The man leaned forward, smiling, and 
again the room seemed filled with sudden 
brightness. "What are you doing now?" 

"I've got it," and the shadow left her face. 
"I'm thinking. Oh, now I see it clearly! 
One cannot, of course, arrive at any conclu- 
sion except by thought. Therefore, the 
nature of Mind is to think. I see by your 
face that I am right." 

"Yes, you are right," he agreed. "The 
person that told you that 'Mind does not 
think — Mind knows,' did not understand 
metaphysics. He probably meant that 'Mind 
does not believe a thing — Mind knows/ 
That Mind knows all, is true in this way. 
The full-blown rose is in the bud; the lily 
within the bulb; the oak within the acorn. 
While my mentality has all understanding 

[37] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



now, all understanding is not consciously 
known to me, and only that much of under- 
standing that has consciously unfolded to 
me, do I actually know or sense and embody. 
God, Mind, through its activity (thinking) 
will forever continue to unfold itself (Intel- 
ligence)." 

"Oh, that is beautifully clear to me!" cried 
Millicent, "and so reasonable. I see plainly 
that the nature of Mind is to think; all un- 
derstanding is arrived at through the process 
of thought." 

"Then with this as the foundation, we will 
go a little deeper, and let our reason take us. 
What is Truth?" 

"True thought," was the quick reply. 

"Certain it is that there could be no Truth 
without true, or right thought, and without a 
feeling or a sense of Love, Love would be 
unknown. This is consistent with Mrs. 
Eddy's words, 'Christianity reveals God as 
ever-present Truth and Love, to be utilized 

[38] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



in healing the sick, in easting out error, in 
raising the dead/ Here she speaks plainly 
of utilizing God. To utilize means to employ 
or to use. We are instructed therefore by 
our Leader to use Truth, true thoughts, and 
Love or loving thoughts in healing." 

' 'Then the healer of ills must be right or 
true thought/' said Millicent, slowly. "I am 
beginning to see things in a very new light. 
Since thinking is of such supreme import- 
ance, please tell me something more about it. 
According to our reasoning thus far, every- 
thing would spring from thought." 

"You have said it right. Everything does 
spring from thought. On the title page of 
Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy quotes these 
words from Shakespeare: 'There is nothing 
either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.' 
Have you given this your attention, Mrs. 
Curtis?" 

"I have read it, of course, but I cannot 
say that it was of special significance to me." 
[39] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"The very fact that our Leader placed it 
so conspicuously in her text-book would 
surely indicate its importance," was the 
gentle reply. "Give it your attention now, 
and tell me what you get out of it." 

Slowly the words fell from her lips: 
" 'There is nothing either good or bad, but 
thinking makes it so/ " Her eyes looked past 
him, penetratingly, as her mind reached out 
for the meaning. 

"Why, if thinking makes a thing, then 
thinking would be a cause." 

The man nodded expectantly. 

"Then — the — the good in existence is the 
result of good thought, and the wrong is the 
result of wrong thought." 

Another smiling nod. 

"But, Mr. Williams," cried she, in alarm, 
"I seem to be losing sight of God altogether !" 

"Just the reverse, dear friend. You are 
getting nearer to God, Truth, Understand- 
ing, than you have ever been before. Come," 

[40] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

— bb— ■■■■ aa—m«—M~— m— »■■—■■ m bb ■— 



he said, winningly, "trust me. For many 
years I was just where you have been in 
thought, but it is a belief-stage only. Now 
I understand. I can save you many a heart- 
ache ; I can, by showing you the truth in our 
Leader's books, give you the best God, 
helper, that you have ever had. Will you 
trust me and let us go on with our reason- 
ing?" 

Without a word Millicent reached her 
hand across the table and at once it was held 
in a strong, confident clasp. 

"I am ready to go on," she said softly. 
Then, after a moment, "If Mind is cause, 
then thinking must be the creator in the act 
of creating. Is this right? Does Mrs. Eddy 
say anything that upholds such a propo- 
sition ?" 

"Yes, she does. I will give you a few 
references from Science and Health. On 
page 553 there is a marginal heading: 'All 
nativity in thought.' Webster gives the 

[41] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

definition of nativity as birth or beginning; 
therefore, Mrs. Eddy virtually meant that 
all creation springs from Mind through 
thought activity." 

Pausing a moment that his statement 
might carry weight, he went on. "On page 
114 we read under marginal heading, 'Caus- 
ation mental,' this: 'Christian Science ex- 
plains all cause and effect as mental, not 
physical.' Again, on page 384, she says: 
'Through this action of thought and its 
results upon the body, the student will prove 
to himself, by small beginnings, the grand 
verities of Christian Science.' You will note 
that she says, through the action of 
thought. She has used the words 'think- 
ing,' 'thought' and 'thoughts' over 500 
times in her book Science and Health alone, 
and if you will make a very careful study 
of her use of these words you will find that 
she tells us of certain specific things that 
right thought will do, and certain things that 

[42] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



wrong thought will do. Are you beginning 
to see the great importance attached to the 
true meaning of the Shakespearean state- 
ment?" 

"I am sure that I am. It seems to me 
now that the good things that have been 
brought into my life through Christian 
Science, and which I somehow attributed to 
divine Love as something outside of myself, 
after all, came to me through my own think- 
ing. Then what is the full meaning of that 
much-beloved saying of our Leader's: 'Di- 
vine Love always has met and always will 
meet every human need'?" 

"It means that right Understanding, 
divine or right reasoning, Truth or true 
thinking, Love or loving feeling will always 
and forever meet our every need, if we cor- 
rectly apply this all-power." 

Millicent drew another long, deep breath. 

"You certainly are giving me a more 
reasonable God than I ever have had before. 

[43] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

After all, now that I think it over seriously, 
and am very honest with myself, my sense 
of God has not differed very tremendously 
from the orthodox thought of God. Before 
I studied Christian Science I thought of a 
man- God in the skies; through the study of 
Christian Science I took away his form, in- 
creased His proportions, and put Him 
everywhere. I have thought of Him as good 
only, but still I have been looking outside 
of myself for my help. I expected a power 
and presence to help and guide me. I was 
not depending absolutely upon my own 
right and true thinking, as I now see that 
our Leader meant we should. I was not 
depending upon Mind or right reason within 
me, but I was thinking, the best that I knew 
how, about God and man, and leaving the 
rest for divine Love to adjust harmoniously. 
"And yet," she went on meditatively, 
"Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is 
within you. Oh, did he mean — could he 

[44] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



have meant — that within my own right 
mind or thought is the power to bring forth 
heaven or harmony?" 

"He surely did; and a closer study of his 
life will show you that it was thus he worked 
out the problems of sickness, sin, and death 
that were presented to him. He said, 'The 
Father [true thinking] that dwelleth in me 
doeth the works/ harmonizing with Mrs. 
Eddy's statement that all nativity is in 
thought." 

"I can see very clearly now, how I have 
many times helped myself through faith and 
blindly believing in God. For instance, my 
child was very ill, and although I endeavored 
very earnestly to know that sickness is not a 
reality of Life, and that health is the right 
and normal condition, yet there was no 
improvement in the condition of the child, 
and I found myself getting fearful. Now, I 
love the Christian Science hymns; never 
have they failed to bring me comfort, cheer 
[45] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

i |m *a m m— .m m m i n n< n a ■ »n— — n t n n uu ■ »— » ■■ n ■ ■ ■ ■ tA 

and courage. So now I took my hymn book 
and sang one hymn after another until, 
gradually, I had stirred an emotion in my 
heart — an emotion of fearlessness, faith, 
hope and confidence. The conviction came 
to me that all was well, and if I would trust 
God absolutely and completely, the error 
would melt away and rightful harmony 
reign. Within a very short time the change 
for the better came and the child recovered." 

Millicent had spoken rapidly, as one 
working her way to a certain end. "And 
now," she said finally, "that healing was not 
based upon that understanding that our 
Leader wanted us to have, at all ; nor was it 
based upon the understanding that our 
Master used; it was founded principally 
upon faith, and I simply got the result of 
my faith, that was all. 

"How glad I am that you came!" she 
exclaimed impulsively. "You have shown 
me something better, something higher." 

[46] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"You can now see, Mrs. Curtis, that you 
turned to that hymn book as another turns 
to his drug. Why, all of these hymns are not 
considered strictly scientific right thought 
even by those who print them; just look on 
the first page of the preface and see for 
yourself. You had a pure, devout faith in 
some supernatural power to help you. This 
pure and earnest faith put to flight all your 
previous fears, and as we are taught that 
fear is the foundation of sickness, when your 
fear was removed, and sublime faith was 
enthralled, the child was well — your think- 
ing so made it so. Faith, without under- 
standing the law of Life, may work for a 
time, and without a doubt many wonderful 
works have been performed through faith 
alone, or with only a small degree of under- 
standing; but at some time or other w r hen 
help is most needed, this blind faith fails 
and our hearts are all but broken. This 
ought to awaken us to the fact that there is 
[47] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



something lacking, but many misunderstand 
this life lesson and entirely desert Science. 

"Our Leader says, Life is progress, and 
some day faith must give way to actual un- 
derstanding, if we are to possess the seamless 
robe of our Master's teachings. If blind faith 
alone would continue to solve our problems, 
our mentality would be satisfied with this, 
and the actual understanding of Being would 
cease to unfold. But this cannot be; for 
Nature, God, will constantly and forever 
continue to unfold itself in progress and in 
the understanding of itself. 

"Faith in understanding is right faith, 
any other is blind. In one of Mrs. Eddy's 
early editions of Science and Health, she 
states: 'In Hebrew, Greek, Latin and 
English the word "faith" embraces two 
meanings, viz., "trustfulness" and "trust- 
worthiness." The first trusts all to another, 
and the second understands and relies on 
one's self.' " 

[48] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«|m—M — II— «l— W— II— »H^W— M— II ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■■ — I — I W fl 

"I am fully convinced that this must be 
the fact," she agreed earnestly. 

"I would not have you misunderstand my 
view of the hymn book. It without doubt 
contains the very best hymns of any hymn 
book in the world; but they should never be 
approached as a mental medicine bottle, nor 
should we allow them to transfer our faith 
in our own understanding of good to a power 
or a principle without us. Go to the bedside 
of the sick and depend absolutely upon your 
understanding of the facts of Life, that the 
good alone is all, and that all power is given 
unto right thought, and apply the corrective 
right thought; and then will you heal intel- 
ligently and upon a fixed Principle. Jesus 
had absolute faith in himself and in his own 
understanding of Life. So must we. When 
the centurian asked Jesus to help his servant, 
did Jesus say, 'I will come and pray for 
him, but God will do the healing' ? No. He 
said plainly, 'I will come and heal him.' 3 
[49] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



As Millicent was very deeply interested, 
the man went on. 

"Jesus spoke words of authority, based 
upon his deep understanding of what Mind 
is and of what it consists, and he is our way- 
shower. Listen to his words: 'I am the 
Truth, the Life'; 'I am the bread of life'; 
'I am the light of the world' ; 'I am the resur- 
rection and the life'; 'I am the good shep- 
herd'; 'All power in heaven and on earth is 
given unto me.' " 

As one entranced, Millicent listened to the 
voice that carried the rhythm of music and 
the hush of understanding. 

Presently, she spoke with deep feeling. 
"As I listened to those wonderful words of 
our Master, some correlative words of Mrs. 
Eddy came to my thought — words that I have 
never understood until now." She opened the 
book, First Church of Christ Scientist and 
Miscellany j and turning to page 165, read 
aloud, " 'What am I? ... I am able to 

[50] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



impart truth, health, and happiness, and 
this is my rock of salvation and my reason 
for existing/ I can now see a great depth 
to these words; but I won't question you 
about them, for I want to think them out 
for myself." 

"There is no other way to heaven, my 
friend, except the door of right thought. 
Many are seeking more convenient or easier 
avenues, but all such are seeking in vain. 
'Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
make you free.' It is only as we know, 
reason out, understand, the actual truth of 
Life or Being that we become free from 
beliefs and consequent discords of the body. 
The only way that we can prove that what 
we have accepted as true is Truth, is to 
have constant success in healing ourselves 
and others of sickness and sin, and to be 
continually adding to our storehouse of 
understanding/' 

"I am convinced that you are an ardent 
disciple of progress." 

[51] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«|»B ■ ■ i M — .■«—.»»— -HH— M— »Hit-— Nil— »B »— a»«— m— ■■— m— im— m— «■ i M n|» 

"You are right," he smiled. "We should 
never be satisfied to stand still; we should 
always be pressing on. Our Leader said 
that, though rejoicing in 'some progress/ 
she was still a willing disciple at the heavenly 
gate. Through the gate of right thinking we 
must constantly desire and seek greater un- 
foldment of understanding; and it is true 
that this unfoldment of Mind will go on 
forever, for even eternity will never reveal 
the end of unfoldment. Nature, Life, is 
constantly unfolding itself, and this is Life's 
purpose and enjoyment." 

A hush of gladness seemed to flood the 
room with its presence, and for several mo- 
ments neither spoke. 

Then Millicent said, very earnestly: "You 
have become a dear friend. You have pointed 
me to a greater light; you have taken false 
props from beneath me and have given me 
a clearer meaning of our Master's teachings 
and those of our Leader, Mrs. Eddy. How 
can I ever thank you?" 

[52] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"In just one way," was the answer, and 
his countenance again reflected that light 
that Millicent was beginning to feel was a 
part of him. "In just one way," repeated he 
simply. " 'Go ye into all the world and 
preach the gospel.' 'Heal the sick.' Seek, 
study, ponder, meditate. Gain some actual 
understanding of Truth, as taught by the 
Master, and by his follower, Mrs. Eddy; 
then, bring this light to the attention of those 
who are longing for it." 

"I promise you faithfully that I will," 
was the solemn, yet fervent response. 

Presently, Millicent rose and, in a warm 
tone, remarked: "You have been feeding me 
the bread of life; now I am going to find 
some refreshment for you from the store- 
house of my home." 

Soon she returned, wheeling up between 
them a table of good things. 

"It is a warm day, and I am sure that you 
will enjoy this cool drink," smiled she, and 

[53] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

"J* "" — ■■ " ■ -- tn nn in ■■ m n| i 

she poured into the crystal goblet a spark- 
ling beverage that she had prepared from 
fresh fruits. 

"It is certainly delicious," and his relish 
of good things did not escape Millicent's 
keen sense. 

As they talked and laughed over the tea 
table, it seemed to her that she had always 
known this man. There was such a natural, 
wholesome air about him, so refreshing and 
genuine, that made her yearn in her heart 
to cultivate his friendship. 

After the table had been removed, Mr. 
Williams glanced apprehensively at his 
watch. 

"Please don't think of leaving me yet," 
urged Millicent. "How the time does fly 
when one is absorbed in the contemplation 
of spiritual things!" 

"We have been talking several hours," he 
smiled back, "but I will stay a little longer 
if there is more that you care to talk about/' 

[54] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"More?" echoed she, "it seems to me that 
we have only just begun. As I am a prac- 
titioner, I would naturally like to know 
something more about the method of heal- 
ing; or, as I now am sure you would say, 
the application of true or right thought to 
the destruction of erring beliefs." 

"I see that you are an apt pupil; you are 
earnest and desirous; and to such it is a joy 
to talk. Along the particular line of healing, 
there is nothing better that I can advise you 
than to study what our Leader says directly 
upon this subject. 

"Here it is," he remarked, as he opened 
the volume Miscellaneous Writings to page 
219, Mental Practice. Mrs. Eddy tells us 
here that mortals think after a sickly fashion. 
If you will look deeply into this, you will 
find that this is in perfect agreement with 
the rest of her teaching, that sick thought is 
the root of sickness. After deciding that a 
sick thought is the cause of the illness, the 

[55] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

next question would naturally be — by what 
method can I change the sick thought of the 
patient and thereby restore him to health? 
Right here, Mrs. Eddy says that the healer, 
if he would remove the feeling of sickness 
from the patient, 'must change his patient's 
consciousness of disease and suffering, to a 
consciousness of ease and loss of suffering/ " 

"You mean it is J that must do this? It is 
I that must make such a change in the pa- 
tient?" marveled Millicent. 

"Yes, that is what Mrs. Eddy plainly 
says. The healer, of course, must have some 
understanding of Life and its laws ; and the 
first thing that he is to do, this article says, 
is to produce a change in the thinking of the 
patient." 

"That is where I lost the way. I can see 
it clearly now," nodded she. "I did not 
follow our Leader closely enough. Now I 
readily see that it must be I, myself, through 
a process of reason based upon Truth, who 
brings about the healing of another," 

[56] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

-f" — ■— — *■■ — ■ — "■ — ■■ — '—■ — " — m — ■■ — ■■ — — — 1 tn u i ifi 

"Absolutely. If a child comes to you and 
tells you that two and two are five, you argue 
with him and show him the facts of mathe- 
matics, and you aim to change his thought 
to conform to actual truth ; and, if you suc- 
ceed, then you have healed him of his wrong 
belief and the consequent wrong answer. So 
it is with the healing of sickness, as this 
article further states; for it states that the 
practitioner changes his patient's conscious- 
ness from sickness to health. I am sure that 
this is plain enough, simple enough, for any 
one to comprehend." 

"It does sound so, now that you have en- 
lightened me as to its meaning." 

"Of how many essentials is Mind com- 
posed?" asked Mr. Williams, after a mo- 
ment's pause. 

"I really don't know," was the frank reply. 
"Thought, I know, is one; and knowing, 
perhaps, is another." 

"Why, you have said it just right," he 
[57] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



nodded, with a ready smile. "First, we have 
Mind, or mentality. Second, thought, or the 
activity of the mentality, and third, the con- 
clusion or conviction which is understand- 
ing." 

"Could that be the meaning of the three 
essentials in the God-head?" inquired Milli- 
cent, in astonishment. 

"Exactly the same. First, the Father, 
Mind or Consciousness. Now, the son of 
God would be the son of Mind, would 
it not?" 

There was a smiling nod of assent. 

"Then the son of Mind would be what?" 

There was a moment's stillness, as she 
searched for the answer. "Why — it must 
be right thought!" she exclaimed, exuberant. 

"Good. Now, we have the Father, Mind 
or Consciousness ; and the son, right thought. 
Let us see if we can reason out the third 
essential of the Trinity, which we call the 
Holy Ghost. The third state of Mind must 

[58] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



necessarily be its final state or the truth 
known, or understanding, which same is the 
mental body, the whole body of the spiritual 
consciousness, of which the visible state is 
the manifested embodiment." 

"That is all pretty deep for me to grasp 
at once," said Millicent, leaning her head 
upon her cupped hand and striving very 
earnestly to bring from her mind the quick- 
ened meaning that she had caught. "Let 
me see if I have it. 

"First, we have Mind, Creator, God. 
Second, we have true or right thought, the 
Son." 

She paused to see what effect her words 
were having upon her guest, and he met 
her look of appeal with a smiling nod of 
approval, which gave her courage to go on. 

"Third, Mind's thoughts embodied, under- 
stood, made visible — and I can feel that this 
is right," she finished glowingly. 

"And it is. You have got it very nicely. 
[59] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«|m— »w m m «»— ■— — ■■— «>-— ■— Mm— «— a ■— — ■ . m < mm— m«— ■ m ■«$» 

You might add that the last position is 
Mind's sense of itself — in plainer words — 
the thought idea has become a thing." 

"Oh, I am sure that I have it!" was the 
happy exclamation. "The last state is the 
externalization of the thoughts of the men- 
tality. I will surely study carefully over 
this when I am alone, for I see that it means 
progress for me, and that is what I am look- 
ing for. The world is progressing very 
rapidly at present along all good lines of 
purpose and endeavor, and why should we 
not advance in actual understanding of Life, 
which includes all?" 

"We should, and we are. All nature 
teaches unfoldment. Nothing can stop it, 
for it is Nature, God, unfolding itself. 
1 Creation is ever appearing, and must ever 
continue to appear from the nature of its 
inexhaustible source' — Science and Health. 
The best way for any one to determine 
whether or not he is advancing is to take a 

[60] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

retrospective survey of conditions. When 
one is climbing a long hill, very often the 
climb is tedious and he scarcely feels that he 
is gaining. Then let him stop and look back; 
that will tell the tale. He can at once con- 
vince himself whether or not he is making 
rapid progress. It is exactly so with our 
mental or spiritual progress; we can deter- 
mine it very accurately. Let one look back 
over the past year or six months. If he has 
actually made the progress that counts, he 
will plainly see these results : his mentality 
much clearer as to his comprehension of 
Mind, man, body, Nature, Life, Substance, 
thought, so-called matter, sickness, sin, 
death ; he will readily discover betterment in 
his quality of thinking; he will admit that 
little or no sickness has come near his home ; 
he will note great progress in prosperity, 
enjoyment of Life, absence of cares or wor- 
ries; contentment and peace of mind never 
before experienced; and joyful desire to 
[61] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

press on to higher understanding and to help 
others to the light." 

"Oh, how plain you make it!" said Milli- 
cent, eyes moist with feeling. "I feel so 
ashamed of myself, for if I took that survey 
I would see no such progress in my life. 
Anyhow," added she with a happy expres- 
sion, "I am going to get to work in the right 
direction now, and I know that only the 
result that I bring forth from my effort will 
convince you of my heart's earnestness and 
of my deep, unspeakable gratitude to you 
for pointing me to the light." 

"I feel satisfied already, dear seeker, that 
you are worthy, sincere and honest, and rest 
assured that I understand you perfectly. I 
have here a couple of little pamphlets on 
Christian Science," said he, taking them from 
his pocket. "Read them and ponder, and 
they will help unfold your thought along the 
path of actual understanding." 

There was just a slight hesitancy on Milli- 
[62] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



cent's part, as she reached to take the books, 
and this was noticed by Mr. Williams. "Yes, 
they are authorized;" then, smiling broadly, 
he added, "and by the highest authority, 
namely, Christ or Truth." 

"I have heard these booklets highly spoken 
of by many practitioners and by a prominent 
teacher, and I shall read them," said she, 
looking through the pages. "But I scarcely 
understand what you mean when you say 
that they are authorized by Christ or Truth." 

"Nothing mysterious about that," declared 
he ; and that knowing smile again appeared. 
"Any true thought or statement has the 
authority of Truth, for Truth is its own 
authority, and these little booklets are filled 
from cover to cover with thoughts and state- 
ments of Truth, consequently they are 
authorized by Truth." 

Gradually the face of Millicent became 
radiant with light as she gained the true 
purport of his words. "I now, for the first 
[63] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



time, fully understand what has often puz- 
zled me in the past regarding the explana- 
tory note read in our Science churches, and 
which ends with 'and divinely authorized/ 
I see now that this does not mean authorized 
by a church or a publishing committee, as I 
supposed, but authorized by the very Truth 
contained in the book or statement or 
thought expressed," 

"Why, you are gaining actual under- 
standing beautifully! While it is true that 
the Christian Science church has done more 
to enlighten humankind than any other 
church organization, it nevertheless is a mis- 
take of great magnitude for any of us to 
fall into the error of thinking that our sal- 
vation depends upon any material church; 
and if we allow ourselves to believe that it 
does, we are no more enlightened than the 
thousands who believe that their salvation 
depends on this or that particular orthodox 
church." 

[64] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"But there seems to be so much agitation 
about authorized literature?" 

"Yes, that is true, but you will find noth- 
ing in the Manual that warrants it. The 
matter, however, is all very simple when 
seen in its right light. If you will turn to 
the Church Manual, page 81, you read this: 
'Only the Publishing Society of The Mother 
Church selects, approves and publishes the 
books and literature it sends forth/ But this 
does not give anyone the right to state or 
imply that the Truth or true statements of 
another is not Truth." 

"I can see that what you state is no doubt 
true, but I have often heard it said that 
these safeguards have been thrown around 
Christian Science literature to keep it pure 
and unadulterated." 

"In answer to this I will say that Mrs. 

Eddy states in Science and Health that 'all 

of Truth is not understood.' Therefore there 

is no one competent positively to judge as 

[65] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



to how much there is to Truth. And, so, if 
someone should discover some Truth un- 
known previously, and he should present it 
to those who do not know this part of Truth, 
they would think this actual Truth an adul- 
teration, and thus stop progress." 

Millicent's face was a study, as the force 
of this new presentation made itself felt in 
her consciousness ; then a glad light appeared 
in her eyes as she cried, "Oh, I am so glad 
that you said that! For many have said to 
me that I was not doing right in placing my 
science stories on the market; but I could 
never agree with this view, for I had the 
proof in thousands of grateful letters re- 
ceived from people all over the world, that 
I had benefited them." 

"By a deep study of the Master's methods 
we can learn very valuable lessons," asserted 
Mr. Williams. "In spiritual matters, he rec- 
ognized as authority God, Mind, Under- 
standing. Jesus paid no attention to the 

[66] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



accusations and wrong things said against 
him. He knew that his success did not de- 
pend upon anyone but himself, his own right 
thinking. The way to rise in the scale of 
understanding is to ignore all foolish gossips 
and criticisms. We cannot satisfy human 
beliefs. Just keep on with right thinking 
and you will reap the only satisfaction and 
enjoyment there is. I fully agree with a 
motto card that I found in one of our vari- 
ous good Book and Art Shops. It reads : 

" 'Tamper not with idle rumor, lest 
the truth appear to lie; 

Carve thy life to hilted silence; 
wrong shall fall on it and die. 

Tamper not with accusation; har- 
vest not what thou hast heard; 

Christ stood in the court of Pilate, 
but he answered not a word.' " 

"That is beautiful," spoke Millicent, with 
deep feeling. "I felt confident all the time 
that my books were bringing thousands into 

[67] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

a better understanding of Christian Science/' 
"You judged rightly, for by their fruits 
ye shall know; good fruits are the best evi- 
dence possible of what is right"; then he 
added with great sincerity: "A great mis- 
take is being made in not encouraging every 
Science story writer to write more and more; 
for the American public especially is a read- 
ing public, and public libraries are filled to 
overflowing with the nonsensical fiction of 
many writers. These stories are not enlight- 
ening the masses to the facts of Life, but are 
written to amuse and interest, and often set 
forth the baser emotions to catch the eye of 
the sordid reader, and ofttimes these books 
find their way into the hands of the younger 
folks and bring forth in them the baser emo- 
tions they read about. If, on the contrary, our 
libraries contained many wholesome Chris- 
tian Science stories, these would find their 
way into the hands of the casual reader, and 
so would tend to elevate and at the same 
time enlighten the masses." 

[68] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

i f ii n bi r — w — ■ — ■ — ■ " \' 

"Surely, you are right, and I am glad 
that I did not heed the words of the narrow- 
minded," replied Millicent in a serious tone. 

"The more educational these stories are 
the better, and no harm would be done even 
if all the statements of the various writers 
were not based upon the meat of the Word. 
We also need the milk for the babes in 
Science. I fully agree with Mrs. Eddy's 
statements, Miscellaneous Writings, page 
802: 'If Christian Scientists occasionally 
mistake in interpreting revealed Truth, of 
two evils the less would be not to leave the 
Word unspoken and untaught.' From this 
statement you can readily see that Mrs. 
Eddy considered it the greater error, or evil, 
to entirely refrain from stating Truth, 
simply because you feared you might not 
state it absolutely scientifically. Even Mrs. 
Eddy herself changed her statements from 
time to time, as she felt she could state them 
more scientifically." 

[69] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



Millicent's face was beaming as she spoke, 
"After hearing these statements of Mrs. 
Eddy's, I am positive that I am right; and 
I shall continue to work with my pen, to 
give the greatest good to the greatest num- 
ber. Surely our right thought expressed in 
simple, uplifting story form must wield a 
certain power for good." 

"Right thought, applied in story form or 
otherwise, tends constantly to cast out or 
destroy wrong thought. Right thought is 
the power of Mind. Using this power of 
Mind, the Master commanded the winds 
and the waves be still; cast from the human 
consciousness demons or wrong thoughts, 
and brought forth the so-called dead to life 
and health. He commanded us to do like- 
wise ; and the one and only way that we can 
ever do these works or similar ones, is to 
gain an understanding of Life such as he 
had. It requires honesty of heart, fearless- 
ness of nature, deep desire for understand- 

[70] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



ing, and the soul's conviction that one is 
right. These are the mental qualities that 
our Leader, Mrs. Eddy had, and these are 
the mental qualities that we must have if we 
wish to press on." 

"I can see that you have them," breathed 
Millicent softly. "You have got beneath the 
surface. You have dug deep." 

"That is the only way that we can progress 
in any line of undertaking," was the simple 
answer. "I made up my mind in the begin- 
ning that metaphysics or the science of Mind 
must be composed of facts, and I searched 
the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings early 
and late until I dis-covered what these facts 
are. As soon as the hidden truth was un- 
covered, all previous sense of confusion and 
mystery departed. Many are reading into 
our Leader's writings their own meanings. 
This is not right. We must read from her 
writings her meaning, then we have it right." 

"And do you think that the spiritual or 
[71] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

♦§»«— - »h— »«— h.— «.—,«— m.—cc— -a.— 1<— •,—,«— j, —Ha— „■— in— hi— b»— .»♦$» 

metaphysical meaning of the Bible is veiled 
or hidden?" 

"There is no doubt of it at all. It was 
Jesus who expounded or opened up to his 
students the spiritual meaning or hidden 
truth of the old testament; and you well 
know that until Mrs. Eddy's discovery of 
Mind healing, the new testament was a 
sealed book. The truth was there all the 
time, but it had to be un-covered. Jesus 
said to his students at one time, 'I have yet 
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot 
bear them now.' No doubt our Leader also 
felt this way." 

Millicent was listening intently to the 
words that fell so naturally from his lips. 

"Just picture the mental standpoint of 
the world about fifty years ago, Mrs. Curtis, 
when Mrs. Eddy was making her wonderful 
discovery. Almost the whole world believed 
in a man-God, and a sky-man at that; be- 
lieved in a private devil; believed in an 

[72] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

eternal place of rest for some, up in the 
clear sky; believed in an eternal place of 
torture for the remainder of mankind, some- 
where in the bowels of the earth; believed 
that man comes and goes without wish or 
will, and a thousand other absurd and non- 
sensical things. Think what our Leader 
made up her mind to do, in the face of this 
seemingly world-wide opposition and igno- 
rance. She aspired to convince the whole 
world of its grave mistakes regarding nearly 
all things under the sun, and insisted that 
she alone was right in her conclusions." 

"Oh, how brave she was!" 

"One can afford to be brave when he knows 
that he is right. She was right and she knew 
it; and that right that she discovered and 
knew will live and reign throughout all eter- 
nity; for, as our hymn says: 

" c And right is right, and God is God; 
And right the day must win; 
To doubt would be disloyalty, 
To falter would be sin/ 
[73] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"I have studied Mrs. Eddy's writings 
carefully and earnestly, beginning with the 
first edition of her great work, Science and 
Health, which she published in 1875. I have 
found everything that she has written and 
published of greatest value. She has various 
writings or books, and in them she gives milk 
for the babe and meat for the adult or 
thinker. It is for each to decide which he 
wants." 

"I recall now that she said to let the Word 
have free course and be glorified; also, that 
the people clamor to leave the cradle. I can 
see now, that this means that the truth should 
not be hidden longer, for the time of thinkers 
has come." 

"There is no doubt of this whatever. St. 
John, the divine, was the most metaphysical 
of any of Jesus' disciples. His great work, 
Revelation, few understand, because of the 
seal he placed upon it. The deep meaning of 
Life is so completely hidden in the writing of 

[74] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

this book that only those who can spiritually 
fathom the seal (which seal is metaphysical) 
can rightly interpret the book. The truth 
of being is hidden, more or less, by all the 
metaphysical writers of the Bible; this was 
no doubt practiced so that the evil-minded 
could not abuse it; but, as Jesus said to the 
earnest hearts, 'Seek and ve shall find'; and 
we must keep on seeking until we find, and, 
as we find, we should give it to the honest 
thinker among our fellow men. It is up to 
us, as the saying is, to do the seeking, but 
let us not be selfish and withhold it from the 
worthy." 

"I can readily see that this is justice. 
Truth should be given to all who are ready 
for truth, as the verse says, 'No day ever 
dawns for us except that for which we are 
ready/ This is correlative with what Mrs. 
Eddy has written that we are the arbiters 
of our own fate." 

"I think that I must be traveling along 
[75] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

— " . " " "" " — " ""* W. ■ ■ Ml 1 ■■ Hltl 



now, as I have some other stops to make 
before night," smiled Mr. Williams. 

"Oh, do stay a little longer," pleaded Mil- 
licent. "Let me see," she began, medita- 
tively, "I don't want you to go away and 
then later wish that I had taken more ad- 
vantage of this wonderful opportunity that 
you have given me and had asked you more 
questions. We have talked about Mind, 
about thought, about healing, about prog- 
ress, and I won't forget a word of what you 
have told me. I mean to study carefully all 
the references that you have made use of 
today. There's matter!" she exclaimed, sud- 
denly, "you haven't mentioned that at all." 

Mr. Williams smiled broadly. "There just 
isn't any." 

"But I'm not satisfied with that state- 
ment," and Millicent gave her head that 
quick little toss. "I can see by your expres- 
sion that you understand that expression 
better than I do. Won't you tell me, please, 
isn't anything real that we see?" 

[76] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

"Everything is as real as you make it, and 
no more so/' quoted the man from Unity of 
Good, by Mrs. Eddy. "You must surely 
know that the discoverer of Christian Science 
wrote that either all is matter or all is Mind. 
Now, you well know that all is not matter; 
then it must be Mind." 

He smiled expectantly at her, and she 
apprehended that he meant her to go on and 
do a little reasoning for herself, 

"Then — then, we should not try to do 
away with any good thing at all," she argued 
aloud, "for the very good things that we see 
are Mind, in its objectified state?" 

"That must be, since everything is Mind 
and Mind, God, is all. Mrs. Eddy also says, 
page 26, Miscellaneous Writings: 'The only 
logical conclusion is that all is Mind and its 
manifestation, from the rolling of worlds, 
in the most subtle ether, to a potato patch/ 
You will please note the capital 'M' and 
ponder." 

[77] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

»$M«— -IH- — MM— BH— IIS — ■«— ItB— MM—* MK— — III— .Jin — — fin— -»9B— — HI— »HB— BB— ~-HN— — KM— »8«|* 

"I am sure that I am seeing a little 
plainer; things, then, are thoughts objecti- 
fied," ventured she. 

"That is right, Mrs. Curtis. The thought 
is primary, the thing is secondary, and all 
things which are termed material are, in their 
last analysis, mental." 

Millicent was lost in thought for several 
seconds. So much new truth had been pre- 
sented to her consciousness that the whole 
room seemed full of light. More questions 
came pressing for solution. 

"How, then, do you classify sickness and 
discord?" 

"As objectifications of wrong thought." 

"Caused by lack of understanding, I sup- 
pose?" 

"Yes. Lack of understanding Life, Na- 
ture, as it really is. Lack of comprehending 
the facts of Being. Lack of living, loving, 
serving good. Surely, you know enough of 
Truth to comprehend the fact that we must 

[78] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



begin to reason from the standpoint that 
God is all. If, then, God is all, good is all, 
and all is good. If the mind refuses to accept 
the actual truth that good is all, then the 
mind commences to weave itself into a delu- 
sion ; for, if a mentality believe that anything 
but good is cause, it is laboring under a 
delusion. Just as soon as any one believes 
that the weather is cause, food is cause, 
mortal mind is cause, germs are cause, and 
a thousand other things are cause, he is hav- 
ing a thousand gods." 

"He evidently is not familiar with the 
first commandment, at any rate," inter- 
rupted Millicent, laughing. 

"He is not alone, but has plenty of com- 
pany," said the man, joining in the laugh. 
"He is one out of many millions in the same 
boat. Now, sooner or later, these wrong 
thoughts will, as they gain conviction in the 
mentality, objectify or externalize themselves 
as disease. First and last, disease is the ob- 
[79] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



jectification of wrong thought or the deluded 
sense of the individual. Exactly the same as 
with the child not grasping the truth of 
mathematics. He says that two and two are 
five. He is laboring under a delusion, and 
the figure five that he writes down in his 
example is his mistaken thought embodied 
or expressed. The teacher pays no attention 
whatever to the '5' that he writes as his 
answer, but at once undertakes to make 
the truth of mathematics so simple and plain 
to the child that the five-belief vanishes from 
his mind and he accepts the truth that 
2 and 2 are 4." 

"Yes, I am understanding/' nodded Milli- 
cent, as he looked questioningly at her. 

"The fact is that 2 and 2 are not 5 and 
never were and never will be; but to a de- 
luded mind it may appear so, and this ap- 
pearance seems to be real to him until either 
he gains enough truth about the subject to 
have convinced himself of his mistake, or 

[80] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

l |u .i ll i ■■ — — — ————<— — — — — —— ■ ■ — ■ ■ ■> § ! 

else some one else convinces him. Thus it is 
with all sickness; it appears to the patient 
to be real, and it is as real to him as he makes 
it, but it is not a fact of Life, never was and 
never will be ; and, as soon as he learns the 
true facts of Life and learns how to conform 
his thoughts to these facts, then his delusion 
will leave him and the natural condition of 
health be in effect again." 

"You do make it sound very simple and 
easy, and I feel confident that I understand 
it. I am sure, from what you have told me, 
that you believe in talking to your patients 
and making them understand what it is that 
causes them to be sick and how it is possible 
for true reasoning about Life to free them." 

"I believe in following all the instructions 
of our Leader," he said emphatically, and 
she tells us to 'give your patients an under- 
lying understanding to support them and to 
shield them from the baneful effects of their 
own conclusions'; also, she says we should 
[81] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

«|»H— Dli— HH— ~KH— «= «H— H««— .»«— . ia— ««— BIM— «MII«— HU— na— «B— HHj— «»B— — ■»— »«— «A 

explain Christian Science to our patients as 
soon as they are prepared to receive our 
words; and again, 'The student who heals 
by teaching and teaches by healing will 
graduate under divine honors.' In just that 
proportion that we understand metaphysics 
can we demonstrate it. Any subject is easy 
to demonstrate when once we know the prin- 
ciple and the method of its operation. This 
applies also to metaphysics, the science of 
Mind." 

"Thank you so much, so very much," and 
Millicent impulsively extended both hands 
to him as he prepared to leave. "You have 
awakened me to that which is vital, and to 
say that I am grateful is saying little that 
my heart is feeling. When I have feasted 
more upon what you have given me, and 
when I am satisfied that it is all mentally 
digested and assimilated — and — I am hun- 
gry for more, may I hope that you will let 
me see you again?" 

[82] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 



"Most certainly you may," he promised. 
"The study of Mind is so infinite in its scope, 
that I thought best to touch on those things 
today that would bring you the most good 
at this time. At future talks we will take 
up some things we have not considered 
today." 

"Then it will be 'reflection' for one thing," 
laughed Millicent, confidentially, "for Mrs. 
Eddy says that Jew' understand it. We will 
talk about the universe and man, too." 

"I am afraid we will begin at once, if I 
do not say good-bye," said the man jovially. 

Millicent walked by his side down the 
driveway to his car. 

Before taking his place at the wheel, he 
turned and once more clasped her hand 
warmly, saying, "My going brings to mind 
John 17, verse 1, where Jesus is accredited 
with these words, 'Father, the hour is come ; 
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify 
thee,' so, also, my desire at parting is, 
'Father, glorify thy daughter, that thy 
[83] 



THE HIDDEN TRUTH 

l |M ■■ ■■ W—M — ■— ■■—■■—»■— — a— B»— .SB— BB— f»— «— r M— HH— M — B «|> 

daughter may glorify thee/ Many use the 
word 'glory' who do not understand its pri- 
mary meaning which, according to Webster, 
is 'to clear, to enlarge/ in other words, unfold 
the mentality." 

Then, with a wave of his hand, "Till we 
meet again!" 

"A wonderful man," thought Millicent, 
and with eyes moist with feeling she watched 
the car as it slowly wended its way down 
the street and was lost to view. 

As she entered the office the light seemed 
still to be there. 

"This light is the glow of a new hope in 
me," thought she. "There is nothing worth 
while but the calm and satisfaction that 
comes from actual understanding; and I 
now resolve that I will think, study, search, 
until I, too, have arrived at that point of 
conviction where I can say to others as in 
my heart I have heard said to me today: 
'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest/ 3 

[84] 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: April 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 660 930 8 



m 



iB 



WW 

HI 

ii 



www 

liKl 



